My sophomore year of college I went through a looong flare up
I had just transferred schools, so I didn’t really tell my new friends about my symptoms
Around Thanksgiving break I ended up in the hospital for a few days. No one really knew I was gone. I came back in December and although I had felt like I went to hell and back, my friends had NO CLUE
I was angry and resented them for not calling and sending flowers. I felt SO alone. Yet I STILL didn't share anything with them
How silly of me to just expect support?!
From then on I realized that I needed to be more open with people about having Crohn’s Disease. Over the years I’ve perfected how to best tell people, and I’ve worked on getting over any embarrassment or shame
What happened next? I have received an outpouring of support from anyone I have shared with! And not only do they support me more, but I feel so much relief, more confidence, and a lot less isolation
As humans, we live, we love, we have intimate relationships. We NEED people
Relationships make us happier, healthier and live longer
On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your relationship with others? How satisfied are you with your relationship with yourself?
Ask yourself these questions:
🌻Do I surround myself and interact with people that have a positive impact on me?
🌻 Do I have healthy, loving relationships with others and myself?
🌻 How do my relationships impact my health?
🌻Who cares for and loves me?
🌻Do I feel socially connected?
Those of us with IBD have unique challenges with our relationships due to symptoms, treatment, surgery, embarrassment, self esteem and fatigue
If you aren’t satisfied with your overall rating of your current relationships, let’s talk
Throw back to my AMAZING bachelorette party in 2018🥳
Friendship and social connection is an important piece of the pie when it comes to looking at our health and wellbeing
Those of us with IBD especially need to reap the many benefits of relationships and social connection:
💪Improve mood
💪Decrease depression
💪Decrease stress and enhance resilience
💪Increase self-esteem and sense of wellbeing
💪Increase levels of oxytocin, which increases feelings of happiness and improved sleep
💪Increase levels of endorphins, which help reduce pain
I could definitely use a little more of all of those things, ESPECIALLY when I'm in a flare
These days it is hard to maintain some relationships due to social distancing. HOWEVER, if we choose we can be more connected than ever!
If you’re feeling alone and isolated in your IBD life, connect with me and other IBDers on social media to start. This is such a great platform to realize you are not alone
Schedule a FREE call today to connect with someone who understands what you're going through